Oops! Southwest Flight Takes Off with Door Wide Open

Unfortunately for her bank account, Senior Editor Caroline Morse Teel is powerless to resist a good flight deal. Follow her on Twitter @CarolineMorse1 and Instagram @TravelWithCaroline.

Caroline joined Boston-based SmarterTravel in 2011 after living in Ireland, London, and Manhattan. She's jumped out of planes and off bridges in the pursuit of a good story (and an adrenaline rush). She loves exploring off-the-beaten path destinations, anything outdoorsy, and checking out the dining and nightlife scenes in hot cities.

Her stories have also appeared online at USA Today, Business Insider, Huffington Post, Yahoo, Boston.com, TripAdvisor, Buzzfeed, Jetsetter, Oyster, Airfarewatchdog, and others.

The Handy Item I Always Pack: "Earplugs. A good pair has saved my sleep and sanity many times!"

On your next flight, should you look out the window and make sure your plane’s door is closed before the flight leaves? ABC News reports that a Southwest flight from Houston to Dallas took off with a cargo door open.

An eyewitness at the airport told ABC News, “I couldn’t believe my eyes…I couldn’t believe a plane as sophisticated as they are would take off with the cargo door open.”

A representative from Southwest Airlines told ABC News that an indicator light came on right after take off, and the captain landed the plane in order to have the door checked out. Luckily, no one was injured.

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